COLUMBUS, Ohio — Through the entire first two months of the Caleb Porter era in Columbus, the new Crew coach’s refrain has been focused. He’s not in Columbus to fix anything, he’s said, because the team doesn’t need fixing. Porter is here to build on what Gregg Berhalter established in five years and give the team just enough of a push to get over the trophy-winning hump.

But after Porter’s first MLS game at the helm — his first real opportunity to assess his team — it seems he’s come face-to-face with exactly what his task will be in Columbus.

His group played well, he said, “except for that one moment.”

For the Columbus Crew and the club’s fans, “that one moment” has been the story of the team for most of the past five years.

If regular-season points were simply awarded to the team who “dominated” the game, Berhalter’s record in MLS play would have been unprecedented. Crew teams have been out-possessing,...